In the final two overs, Sri Lanka needed to score 12 runs. With 5 wickets in hand. The Sri Lankans had control of the game up to that point. Then Shaheen Afridi got the ball. In his over, he showed his astounding spells. Only 4 runs were scored by the hosts in that over. Where 2 wickets were taken by Afridi in two straight balls. At Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium, the game was getting exciting, and the crowd was ecstatic.
In the final over, Sri Lanka needs 8 runs. With 3 wickets in hand. Babar Azam gave the ball to Zaman Khan, the chosen pacer, in this circumstance. Under pressure, Zaman performed wonderfully and remained composed. Only two runs were taken by the Lankans in the first three deliveries, while one was run out in the fourth.
The game then seemed to have favored Pakistan. The remaining batter was Charith Asalanka, nevertheless. Then, a boundary was scored when the fifth ball hit the edges of the bat and went over the keeper. 2 runs were needed from the last ball. Asalanka easily took two after sending the ball to deep square leg.
Overall, Sri Lanka won by two wickets, and Pakistan received a goodbye. With this, the Lankans made their 11th appearance in the Asia Cup final. Where India will compete against them for the championship on Sunday.
In a rain-delayed match, Sri Lanka’s Duckworth-Lewis’s target was 252 in 42 overs. Kushal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama laid the foundations for the big run chase. And Asalanka did the last.
Mendis scored 91 runs in 87 balls, including 8 fours and 1 six. In 51 balls, Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 48. Asalanka also finished the game undefeated, scoring 49 runs off 47 balls.
Iftikhar Ahmed of Pakistan grabbed three wickets, and Shaheen Shah Afridi took two wickets.
The semifinals of the Asia Cup were unannounced. Due to the weather, the toss was delayed in this game. The start of the match came after over two hours. The result was a reduction of 5 overs in 2 innings. This means that instead of 50 overs, 45-over matches will be played first. Later, due to rain, three more overs were cut short, bringing the total to 42 overs.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat in this crucial game, which did not go well at the outset. They scored 9 runs before losing opener Fakhar Zaman (4 off 11). Pramod Madushan, a Lankan pacer, bowled him. They lost one wicket in the first five overs and only managed to score 13 runs.
To counter the initial blow, Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafiq combined for 64 runs in the second wicket. Babar was stumped by Wellalage after scoring 29 off 35 balls. Abdullah Shafiq then completed a half-century. He did not live long after turning fifty, though. The right-handed batsman, who had just played a career-best 52-run innings in 69 balls with three fours and two sixes, was bowled out by Pathirana. After 100 runs, Pakistan lost their third wicket.
Mohammad Haris was unable to seize the chance, but Shafiq was able to. Haris got out only for 3 runs off 9 balls. Then Theekshana bowled Mohammad Nawaz, who had scored 12 runs off 12 balls. Pakistan lost 5 wickets for 130 runs.
Then, Rain began to fall following Pakistan’s 130 for 5 in 27.4 overs. The team of Babar Azam was in a challenging circumstance. However, Pakistan showed a different face following the rain.
The team was saved by Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed. They not only succeeded, but they also formed a 108-run partnership for the sixth wicket in 78 balls.
Iftikhar was eventually out after scoring 47 runs in 40 balls, including 4 boundaries and 2 sixes. But by that point, Pakistan had put up a respectable total (238). Pakistan eventually finished with 252 runs for 7 wickets in 42 overs.
With 86 runs off 73 balls, Rizwan, who batted superbly, was still unbeaten. In his innings, the wicketkeeper batter smashed 6 boundaries in addition to 2 sixes.
Matheesha Pathirana took 3 wickets for 65 runs and Pramod Madushan took 2 wickets for 58.
Pakistan – 252/7 (42.0)
Sri Lanka – 252/8 (42.0)
Result – Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets – 42 overs match, DLS Target 252
Player of the match – Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis
Pakistan | Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Fakhar Zaman, Zaman Khan |
Sri Lanka | Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Dunith Wellalage, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pramod Madushan, Pathum Nissanka, Matheesha Pathirana |
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